School desk and chair combined



arms pivoted by their rear ends to the mov- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BUCHANAN, OE HICKORY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SCHOOL DESK AND Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BUCHANAN, of Hickory, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combination School Desks and Chairs for Scholars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a perspective view of my improved combined school desk and chair. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in a school desk seat pivoted near its front edge to a stationary frame and hinged near its rear edge to a movable back and having its able back and hinged to the stationary frame, all as hereinafter described. By this arrangement of seat, scholars will be compelled, by reason of their own weight, when it is deemed advantageous, to sit in a posture which will cause their chests to be thrown forward in a manner to insure a free action and healthful condition of their lungs, instead of being allowed to throw their chests inward in a manner to contract and impair their lungs, as is the case with ordinary school desk seats which allow the scholars to lean forward and rest their arms upon the desk.

To enable others, skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, more minutely.

A, represents the frame which supports a seat and desk adapted for one scholar.

B, represents one of the front row of desks; it is of ordinary construction and is so arranged that it answers for the scholar who occupies the seat attached to a desk of the second row.

C, is the seat. Its bottom a, is pivoted at b, to the front uprights of the stationary frame A. It is also hinged to the adjustable back e, of the seat, -as shown at d.

CHAIR COMBINED.

22,545, dated January 11, 1859.

The arms e, e, are hinged at their rear ends to the top cross pieces f, f, of the frame, as shown, at g, g, and also pivoted to the edges of the back as shown at g1. At the forward end of the arms, catches h, 7L, are provided, said catches taking hold of spring stops provided on the frame at z', z', and thereby holding the arms down to a hori- Zontal position when it is not desirable to have the seat occupy the positions shown in the drawings or the arms of the scholar ele vated and his chest thrown forward. These catches, however, are so arranged that they can readily be operated so as to release the arms of the chair and allow them to rise, as the seat descends, by the weight of the scholar, as illustrated in red and black in Figs. l and 2. Instead of these catches and spring stops, adjusting notched arcs and pins may be employed for confining the seat at any position desired.

From the foregoing, it may be evident, if the catches are thrown out of action and the scholar is in his place, that the bottom, back and arms of the seat will assume, by reason of the weight of the scholar, the position shown in black or red, and that owing to the part assuming this position, the arms of the scholar will be elevated and the chest thrown forward, thus giving a free action to the lungs and insuring their healthful condition.

This arrangement in chairs having no desk attached, and occupied by grown persons or clerks and others who have to sit long periods in one posture might be found just as beneficial as when introduced in school desk seats of the character described.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A seat C, pivoted near its front edge to a stationary frame and hinged near its rear edge to a movable back, and having its arms pivoted by their rear ends to the movable back and hinged to the stationary frame, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

GEORGE BUCHANAN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM SIMEoX, WV. B. KEELING. 

